Trump-endorsed Republican Joe Lombardo defeats Gov. Steve Sisolak in Nevada's gubernatorial election
- Gov. Steve Sisolak was defeated by Republican Joe Lombardo in Nevada's gubernatorial race.
- It was one of 36 gubernatorial elections taking place in 2022.
Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak was defeated by Republican Joe Lombardo in Nevada's gubernatorial election.
Once one of 14 Democratic trifectas in the country, Lombardo's win overturned this status.
Polls closed in the state at 7 p.m. local time, or 10 p.m. EST.
Nevada's gubernatorial candidates
Sisolak is the governor of Nevada. Voters first elected him in 2018, and he previously served on the Clark County Commission and the Nevada Board of Regents.
After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Sisolak issued an executive order implementing protections for anyone seeking or providing abortion services within Nevada. "Governors like me are the last line of defense for protecting abortion access," he said.
Sisolak's win in 2018 established Nevada's Democratic state trifecta — where one party controls a state's governorship and majorities in both chambers of the state legislature — for the first time since 1992.
In the 2022 Democratic primary, Sisolak handily defeated challenger Tom Collins, bringing in 90% of the vote.
Lombardo, Sisolak's challenger, is the sheriff of Clark County. Prior to being elected county sheriff in 2014, Lombardo served more than two decades as an officer in the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. He currently serves as a board member for Nevada Child Seekers, which helps locate missing children, and as chairman of the Major Cities Chiefs Association Intelligence Committee.
Lombardo was endorsed by former President Donald Trump ahead of the Republican primary that featured a 15-candidate ballot. He brought in nearly 40% of the vote, defeating former US Sen. Dean Heller and North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee, among others.
Nevada's voting history
President Joe Biden narrowly defeated Trump by a 2 percentage point margin in 2020. The state has voted for the Democratic candidate in every presidential election cycle since 2008.
The money race
According to data from the Nevada Secretary of State, Sisolak raised $6.1 million, spent $13.5 million, and had $1.2 million on hand, as of September 30. His opponent, Lombardo, raised $3.7 million, spent $4.7 million, and had $1.8 million on hand, as of September 30.
What experts say
The race between Sisolak and Lombardo was rated as a "toss-up" by Inside Elections, The Cook Political Report, and Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.